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Homa! | McIlroy’s Sunday scaries | Tiger’s Medal of Freedom brethren

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By Ben Alberstadt ([email protected])

May 6, 2019

Good Monday morning, golf fans.
1. Homa the brave
ESPN’s Bob Harig with a bit of perspective on Max Homa’s Wells Fargo win.
  • “We shrug. Good golfers make millions. Justin Rose, who tied for third, has made more than $2.5 million this year and doesn’t even rank among the top 10. Matt Kuchar, who leads the FedEx Cup points and who was vilified earlier this year because he at first declined to pay a fill-in caddie more than $5,000 after winning $1.2 million, has made more than $49 million in his career.”
  • “Two years ago, Homa, 28, played a full schedule of tournaments and made just $18,008.”
  • “…So yeah, that $1.42 million he received Sunday might seem obscene (and to be sure, a good bit will be eaten up by taxes, caddie fees, lodging, travel, etc.), but it signifies something very real to a player who just two years ago was missing cuts at an alarming rate and questioning a game that for a time seemed so easy.”
2. Meanwhile, in China…
Golfweek’s Alistair Tait on Mikko Korhonen’s China Open win…
  • “The Helsinki native earned his second European Tour title when he defeated France’s Benjamin Hebert at the first hole of a sudden death playoff.”
  • “Korhonen birdied the first extra hole after he and Hebert finished tied on 268, 20-under. It is Korhonen’s second victory following last year’s Shot Clock Masters. He is just three wins behind Mikko Ilonen, Finland’s most successful golfer.”
  • “It’s an amazing feeling,” Korhonen said. “I don’t know how I did it. But it’s probably the putter that was my winning formula this week. I made lots of putts from outside 15-20 feet this week. I made a birdie on 17 and gave myself a chance to win it on 18 but I didn’t manage to do that.”
3. Kim in a playoff
AP Report…
Sei Young Kim overcame a rough start to win the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship on Sunday at cold and windy Lake Merced, outlasting Bronte Law and Jeongeun Lee6 with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff.
  • Three strokes ahead entering the day, Kim opened with a double bogey and a bogey and dropped another stroke on No. 8. The 26-year-old South Korean birdied the par-5 15th to regain a share of the lead, dropped back with a bogey on the par-3 17th and birdied the par-5 18th for a 3-over 75 and a spot in the playoff at 7-under 281.
  • “It was really tough,” Kim said. “The whole day I got a lot of pressure. And I missed the last par 3, and that’s really bad for me. I’m still like almost my heart came out.”
4. Robby!
Golfweek’s Dan Kilbridge on Robby Shelton’s righting of the ship and perseverance in a playoff…
  • “Shelton made birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to beat Scottie Scheffler and take the title. It’s the first Web.com Tour victory for the 23-year-old from Mobile, Ala., and his first pro victory since winning the 2017 GolfBC Championship on the Mackenzie Tour. A two-shot swing on the final two holes of regulation forced the playoff, as Shelton birdied the par-5 18th hole while Scheffler finished bogey-par to fall back into a tie. Shelton birdied No. 18 again in the playoff to secure the win and overcome a brutal start to the final round.”

 

5. Sunday scaries
Golf Digest’s Joel Beall on McIlroy’s final-round faltering…
  • “Following six straight pairs to start his round, McIlroy had 25 feet or so for eagle on the par-5 seventh, but left five feet on the birdie try, which he failed to convert. On the 315-yard par-4 eighth, McIlroy’s drive was just 37 feet from the pin, yet he could not get up-and-down for birdie, and followed with a three-putt at the ninth for a bogey.”
  • “The official ejection came at the 10th. After his second came up just short at the reachable par 5 (the fourth-easiest hole of the week), McIlroy flubbed two straight chips, and his third wasn’t to tap-in range. McIlroy, visibly unnerved from the short-game woes, missed the bogey attempt, the double putting an end to his tournament aspirations. He finished with a two-over 73, eight shots back of Homa.”
6. Good company
Golfweek’s Bill Speros on the athletes in general, golfers in particular, Tiger Woods joins as a Presidential Medal of Freedom winner…
  • “Tiger Woods will complete what could be history’s most-illustrious golf foursome Monday when he receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Trump in a ceremony at the White House Garden today.”
  • “The three previous golfers to receive the honor are Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Charlie Sifford. They are among 33 sports figures, including Woods, to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Previous winners from the world of sport include Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Jackie Robinson, Billie Jean King and Muhammad Ali.”
7. Move over, Bernhard, there’s a new long putter in town!
Digest’s John Strege…”McCarron, 53, won the Insperity Invitational at the Woodlands Country Club in the Woodlands, Texas, on Sunday, his second victory in the last three weeks, with the PGA Tour Champions’ first major on deck, the Regions Tradition.”
“Momentum is tough to quantify in a sport that has three or four days off between tournament rounds, but McCarron clearly is on a roll that establishes him as the favorite.”
8. Fourth time’s a charm?
Golfweek’s JuliaKate Culpepper on Tony Romo’s latest U.S. Open qualifying bid…
  • “Beginning May 13, Tony Romo will make a run for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach as he competes in 2019 U.S. Open local qualifying at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.”
  • “While he competed in local qualifying the past two years but failed to claim a spot in the U.S. Open, Romo did advance to sectional qualifying in 2010 while he still played in the NFL.”
  • “Romo will tee off in this year’s local qualifying at 12:50 p.m. CT on May 13 alongside Matt Miller and Aaron Guanlao. One hundred thirty-two players will compete for the eight spots from McKinney that advance to sectional qualifying. Local qualifying is 18 holes and sectional qualifying is 36 holes. Sectional qualifying begins May 20 and ends June 3.”
9. I’ll see your snub and raise you a clown nose
Geoff Shackelford on the latest in the Brooks Koepka/Brandel Chamblee “manspat”…
  • “In the latest installment of Chamblee’s views of Koepka, he tells Jaime Diaz on their podcast that there are “likely two” players who can “hang” with the revitalized Tiger Woods.  From Dylan Dethier’s Golf.com account”
  • “In the aggregate, you’d have Dustin and Rory who are the likely two who could hang with him,” he said. “Jon Rahm’s still got a lot to learn. His iron play’s not as sharp as it needs to be to be the best player in the world, and it forces him to have to pitch the ball…his pitching, generally speaking, is not as good as it needs to be. And Spieth’s game has fallen off. So it’s really only two players who could challenge him.
  • “…Koepka has won three majors over the previous two seasons and was in contention at the Masters again this year, finishing T2, one back of Woods.”
  • “In reply, Koepka posted this image of Chamblee with a retweet:”

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Bobtrumpet

    May 6, 2019 at 11:37 am

    “Manspat?” Really? Geeze ….
    Dropped a couple reaction levels there.

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Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

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In our forums, one user is wondering how many birdies other players have had in a round while still failing to break par. @Lalan45, unfortunately, asked the question after a unique experience of their own.

They wrote:

“Today I managed 8 birdies but still shot even par, could have been a round to remember! What’s the most birdies you’ve made in a round and still didn’t break par?”

Our members in the forum shared their own experiences with successful rounds that still resulted in a score over par. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • kwcsports: “I’ve had 5 a few times, still shot 80+ haha.”
  • jda: “I played a course for the first time, had 8 birdies, 9 doubles and an eagle. The infamous no-par round. I kept the scorecard. Every shot had a creek that I did not know about, or I was within 8-10 feet for a birdie look. To this day, I have no idea if I should be really jacked up or mad about that performance.”
  • jvincent: “I think my record is either 5 or 6. Probably shot 75.”
  • Instron4204: “3 birdies and shot a 92…man I suck!”

Entire Thread: “Most Birdies Without Breaking Par.”

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Best current stock shaft 2026 – GolfWRXers discuss

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In our forums, one user is asking for thoughts on the best stock shafts offered in 2026. Stock shafts are the shafts included with a club when it’s purchased from retailers or OEMs.

@DTorres asked:

The last couple years has seen a lot of updates and additions to no upcharge stock shafts, which do you think is the best offering in 2026?

Im a bit of a shaft nerd and recently during my Members Testing with the Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond I found the updated Project X Denali Frost Black to be a fantastic stock shaft. I absolutely did not mesh well with the original Denali. Just curious what other people think are the current best Stock shaft offerings out with new models and stock Ventus options and LinQ options popping up here and there.

We were given the option for any stock shafts for our members review. I went with the 70g Black Frost 6.5 because it’s a shaft I don’t have, it’s an updated version of the original Denali and hear little about. I typically use a Diamana WB, GD VF or a HOF Raptor. I’m not saying it was neck and neck with any of those but it was a pleasant surprise I’m not accustomed to in stock shaft offerings.

Our members in the forum have been offering up their own thoughts on the best stock shafts available in 2026. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • rsballer10: “IMO – MCA Ka’ili White Darkwave, Tensei 1k Black/white, UST Lin-Q White. People are free to spend their money however they see fit, but for me personally the shaft catalogs these days have enough options that I don’t see the value of a $400 upcharge. I have never had a problem finding a no upcharge shaft that fits the bend profile and weight that I need. Whether the paint job is good enough or not is above my pay scale.”
  • bcflyguy1: “Project X Titan Black. I’ve had one in 60TX in my Quantum TD Max for several weeks now. Have to give Titlieist their flowers for finding a way to make it available as a featured option; very shrewd bit of business and one that I suspect will be duplicated by the other companies. TT/PX have a certified banger on their hands with Titan.”
  • CTG77: “Undoubtedly, it’s the Tensei 1K RIP shafts from Titleist. The Tensei line gives about 98% of the performance of a Ventus VeloCore+ shaft at a tiny fraction of the cost if you’re looking for a blue or red profile. The white is not an exact match for Ventus Black, but it’s closer to it than the non-VeloCore+ Ventus shafts that come from Callaway or formerly came from TaylorMade.”

Entire Thread: “Best current stock shaft 2026.”

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GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

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A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down. 

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.

 

  • GolfWRX may earn a commission for purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you.

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